Standing-valve organization



Feb. 26, 1929.

C. A. SWANSON STANDING VALVE ORGANIZATION Fi led lay 1925 Z Z '2 g h Z/m =1; 9- w z i a 752/ ga 1 m :13..-

l /.r 27 o 0 k Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SWANSON, 0F BREA, CALIFORNIA.

STANDING-VALVE ORGANIZATI01\T.

Application filed May 5,

My present invention relates to means for releasably holding, at a desired level, a replaceable standing valve, such as the stand ing valve at the lower end of the working barrel of a deep well pump; and to a pumping organization comprising a standing-valve provided with retainingmeans of the general character described. r

It is an object of this mvent'ion to prov de a standing valve assembly which comprises a conical body and means for holding said 'itating occasional readjustment of the securing means thereof, to compensate for wear; and, in a preferred embodiment of my invention, I may employ a throat element adapted to be secured at one endto a pump barrel and adapted to be secured, at its other end, to a coupling for the attachment of a perforated pipe. The mentioned throat element may be given substantially the same interior taper at its opposite ends, adapting said ends to be used interchangeably and successively for engagement by a conical or other downwardly-diminishing body carrying astanding valve and vertically movable therewith.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a standing valve organization comprising a relatively fixed assembly (including the mentioned throat element) and a movable assembly,the latterbeing so organized that it can, without detriment to the mentioned parts, be lifted entirely free from said fixed assembly and withdrawn therethrough for purposes of adjustment or replacement and, in a preferred embodiment, thementioned movable assemblymay comprise, 1n addit on to a standing valve and a downwardly-diminishing apertur'ed closure body rigidly connected therewith, and in addition to a cylindrical body adapted to interfit moreor less closely within said throat, a reduced portion adapted to carry not only the mentioned split and resilient retaining clip but also variable 1925. Serial no. 28,105.

spacing and retaining means such as washers secured by a nut and a lock nut. c

Other objects of my invention will appear from the following description of a typical embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the lower end of a pump barrel and associated parts which may normally remain at or near the bottom of a well, parts of an interior and relatively movable standing valve assembly being shown therein, and partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, taken substantially as indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1. 0

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, taken substantially as indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. i is a separate view of a resilient retaining ring or clip hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the details of that specific embodiment of my invention chosen for the purposes of illustration, 11 may be the lower end of the working barrel of a pump; and 12 may be a tubular element, of less diameter,

hereinafter referred to as a'throat element,

adapted to cooperate with associated parts in the removable retention of a standing valve assembly, as hereinafter described. This throat element 12 is shown as exteriorly threaded at 13 and 14-, for engagement by the barrel .11, or its equivalent, and by means such a coupling 15, for the attachment of a perforated pipe 16, or the like, extending to any desired depth therebelow; and the respective ends of the throat element 12may be provided interiorly with outwardly enpanding or flared surfaces 17, 18, adapted for engagement by cooperating elements of a re movable standing valve assembly of the general character shown. I

For example, the standing valve organization referred to may comprise a cage element 19, confining a ball 20. and threaded into or otherwise rigidly connected with a clownwardly-diminishing body 21, shown as cylindrical in its upperpart and as providedwith a conical surface 22, having a steeper pitch than the mentioned surface 17, with the upper portion of which it may so contact as to effect a tight closure. To permit an upward movement of oil, or the like, the downwardly-diminishing body 21, or its equivalent, as well as the seat of the ball Valve 20 and also a cylindrical body 28, coaxial with the downwardly-diminishing body 21, are shown as pi'o vided with longitudinal passages 24, commu-. nicating with the interior-of the pipe 16 and, normally to retain the surface'22 of the down wardly-diminishing body in engagement with the surface 17, to prevent leakage or downward return of oil or other fluid which has passed above the valve 20, I may provide a reduced lower portion or eXtension25 of the cylindrical body 23", whether or not this is in tegral with the downwardly-diminishing body 21, with any preferred expansible means automatically engaging ,the lower tapered surface 18 of the throat 12.

F or the purpose last referred to, I may prefer to employ, for example, a resilient split ring 25, capable of being inwardly compressed sufficiently to permit its passage in either direction through the throatelement 12, but tending, when disposed below the constricted portion thereof, to expand into engagement with the outwardly expanding surface 18; and this ring may be retained against downward displacement by means such a nut 26 and a lock nut 27, any required number of washers or other spacing elements 28 being interposed, either above or below the ring 25, or its equivalent, in order to adjust or predetermine the distance between the ring 25., or its equivalent, and the body 21.

In the use of an organization of the general character described, the relatively fixed assembly comprising the barrel 11 and the float element 12 being ordinarily retained at the bottom of a well, the movable assembly comprising the standing valve and the body 21 and the retaining ring 25, or its equivalent, may be inserted or withdrawn at will, as by engagement with a threaded projection 29, at the upper end of the standing valve; and, when required, adjustment can be made, to compensate for wear between the throat element 12 and parts engaging the same, by the interposition or withdrawal or removal of washers 28, or their equivalent, as may be required from time to time, to assure a tight closure between the surface 22 of the body 21 and the surface 17 of the throat 12, to prevent leakage.

The described construction, employing a throat element which is symmetrical with reference to both a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, permits an end-to-end reversal of the mentionedthroat element, and enables the respective ends to be successively used in an economical manner, the surface 22 and the retaining ring 25 being respectively adapted to contact with different areas therein.

WVhen the cylindrical body 23 is of such diameter as to fit closely within the constricted central portion of the throat element 12, the body 21 and the split ring 25, with the mentioned associated parts, may be regarded as means cooperating in preventing unintended longitudinal movement of said cylindrical body; but the relationship between the slightly divergent conical surfaces 17 and 22 is especially favorable to a tight closure; and, altl'iough the exterior surfaces of the ring 25, or its equivalent, may optionally be smoothly rounded, I suggest in Fig. t the employment of a ring whose exterior is somewhat angular, in order to ovbiate unintended longitudinal slippage thereof, while nevertheless permitting the same to be withdrawn, as for purposes of adjustment or replacement, by lifting and dragging the same entirely through the constricted portion of the throat 12; and any suitable spacing means may be interposed above, as well as below, the ring 25, or its equivalent. It may ordinarily be immaterial whether the described spacing means, when employed, are entirely rigid or slightly resilient; and it will be obvious that the inclined surface 18, whether or not the same extends continuously to the bottom of the throat element 12, may be given any pitch appropriate to the conditions of use of a particular installation.

Although I have herein described a single complete embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that various features thereof may be independently employed, and also that numerous modifications might be made, by those skilled in the art to which this case relates, without the slightest departure from the spirit and scope of my invention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims. I

I claim as my invention:

1. A pump comprising; a relatively fixed assembly, including a throat element secured near the lower end of a working barrel and provided at the upper end thereof with'a surface engageable by a downwardly-diminishin closure element and at the lower end thereof with an inclined surface engageable by' an expansible element; and a removable assembly cooperating therewith and comprising a valve seat, a downwardly-diminishing closure element, an expansible element adapts ed to engage an inclined surface of said throat element to prevent unintended relative displacement; and means for so varying the relativepositions of parts of said removableassembly as tocompensate for wear between said parts and cooperating parts of said relatively fixed assembly.

2. A pump comprising: a removable standing valve assembly provided with adjustable retaining means and with eXp-ansible means having an inclined exterior surface and compressible to permit removal of said standing valve assembly for readjustment or replacement of parts; and means for relatively adjusting said parts, upon their removal.

3. A pump organization as defined in claim 2 in which said removable assembly comprises a downwardly-diminishing body adapted to interfit With a cooperating surface of a throat element Whose opposite ends are correspondingly tapered.

4. A pump organization as defined in claim 2 in Which said removable assemblycomprises a downWardly-diminishing body and a sub stantially cylindrical body terminating in a reduced end, said end being provided with means for the retention of a split resilient clip at an adjustably variable distance from said doWnWardly-diminishing body.

5. A pump organization as defined in claim 1 in which said fixed assembly comprises a throat element substantially symmetrical with reference to both a vertical plane and a horizontal plane.

6. A pump organization as defined in claim 1 in Which said fixed assembly comprises a throat element substantially symmetrical Withreference to both a vertical plane and a horizontal plane, the ends of said throat element being reversible in position to enable either end to function as a seat engageable by said doWnWardly-diminishing closure element.

7 A pump organization as defined in claim 1 in which said fixed assembly comprises a throat element substantially symmetrical With reference to both a vertical plane and a horizontal plane, the regions of Wear at opposite ends of said throat element being unequally remote from the ends thereof.

8. A pump organization as defined in claim 1 in Which said fixed assembly comprises a throat element substantially symmetrical with reference to both a vertical plane and a horizontal plane, the opposite ends of said throat element being externally threaded.

- 9. A standing valve organization compris ing: a valve seat element; a longitudinally apertured closure element adapted to extend through said seat element; and resilient means, having an inclined exterior surface, adapted to engage a correspondingly inclined surfacoin said seat element, said resilient means being adjustable relatively to said closure element and removable therewith, and adapted to normally retain said closure element in engagement With said seat.

In testimony whereof, I hate hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 28th day of April, 1925.

CHARLES A. SWVANSON. 

